


Home

by Synergetic_Prose



Series: Shiro Ship Week 2019 [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Between season 6 and 7, Black paladin Shiro, Home/Family prompt, Hurt/Comfort, Kuron (Voltron) Lives, Light Angst, M/M, POV Keith (Voltron), Shiro Ship Week 2019, then switches to POV Shiro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-07-31 17:36:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20118967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Synergetic_Prose/pseuds/Synergetic_Prose
Summary: The first time Keith comes home marks the second time Shiro has too.





	Home

**Author's Note:**

> Using the prompt "Home/Family." I dedicate this to BBTree from Tumblr. :)

The hull of the Black Lion was chilly.

Keith put a blanket over Shiro's prone body on the cot. Nearby Allura was over at the cryopod checking on Kuron's vitals. He sat down on a box, watching the slow rise and fall of Shiro's chest as he breathed. Shiro shifted in his sleep, moving the blanket off a shoulder. Keith leaned over and fixed it but was distracted by the fierce scarred skin of Shiro's right bicep, the metal arm having been removed just in case. 

The Quantum Abyss pulled out memories constantly for the past two years. It only made Keith that much more aware of his absolute desire to come back to the only home he'd known since living with his dad out in the desert. Except...not like that. Not at all. He had a lot of time to reflect on those memories, even the ones he didn't necessarily want to go through again. He frowned as he unwillingly thought of That Day when his world spun out of orbit and into a black hole.

_'Cadet,' Iverson sighed heavily, 'there's been an accident...'_

He gripped Shiro's hand with both of his. His eyes were stinging as he breathed slowly. _Is this even real? If this is another dream - _He felt wetness along his face.

"Please no," he whispered.

He put his cheek against the back of Shiro's hand, felt the bones of his knuckles and the callouses along his palm and fingers from his relentless fighting. _That's right._ Shiro was a fighter back in the Garrison, always pushing himself to better himself while also looking out for him. Shiro was a leader out here in deep space, looked up to by everyone they met. He breathed in long, rubbed his cheek against Shiro hand in an subconscious act of reassurance.

Then that final fight when Zarkon wanted them dead, Black teleported Shiro into the Astral Plane to heal. Shiro had been dying. It took a lot of Black's power to maintain her paladin in stasis. She had finally been able to tell Allura once she was ready to release Shiro back to them. _But Shiro could have easily died and we wouldn't have known._

That still unsettled Keith.

"You should rest."

Keith's shoulders twitched. He hadn't heard Allura walk over. 

"Not until Shiro wakes up. He needs to know someone was here, waiting for him."

"...That _you _waited," Allura quietly corrected.

"..."

She placed a hand on his shoulder. "He'll know."

"Will he? Does he know I -"

"Look at your hands," she gently cut him off.

Shiro's fingers were gripping his hand back. He hadn't even noticed.

"...But I left," he half whispered.

"To help end this war. Help our allies. Keith, please. Rest. I'll even pull the spare cot next to him."

That made Keith's protestation halt. Allura smiled knowingly.

She got up to get it.

* * *

Shiro was warm.

But physically warm. Not essence-warm like he had been in the Astral Plane. He hadn't realized how much he missed feeling that. He softly groaned as he felt pins and needles in his left arm - he smiled widely at being able to experience even that annoyance again. _First thing I'm doing is flying Black. _As comforting as her presence had been in the Astral Plane he was just itching to co-pilot with her again.

But first things first...

He tried moving his arm but something was wrapped around it. He cracked his tired eyes open. He blinked hard as he spotted familiar unruly black hair.

"Keith?"

The paladin stayed asleep besides him, still holding onto his arm. Shiro silently watched him breathe. _He's grown._ He could tell in the Astral Plane but it was another thing entirely to actually see him in person and not like a hologram. He had allowed Keith to bond with his soul so he could see through Black's eyes. He had felt the ache inside of Keith, the relief mixed with the lingering sting of loss. 

_Because of me._

He could feel that it was. He sighed long as he dropped his face into Keith's hair. 

"I'm sorry," he mumbled.

Keith stirred. " 'iro?"

"Hey."

Keith barely had his eyes cracked upon. "You ok?"

"Better than ok." He smiled fondly at him. "Thanks for looking after me."

The light flush would have been seen if Keith hadn't been overcome by a yawn.

"Those sharp canines are new," Shiro casually commented.

Keith lazily shrugged. "You also got a brother now."

"What?"

Shiro followed Keith's sloppy gesture to the other side of the room. There was a cryopod there with -

"You saved my clone?"

"He's good. Just had to detach the galra arm to stop Haggar from messing with his head."

"Wow. So...he's like my twin."

Keith lightly tugged at Shiro's bangs. " 'cept the hair color."

Shiro went cross eyed. "Is it _gray_?"

"Off white. Silver. Take your pick."

Shiro huffed. "I guess I could always dye it."

"Looks ok."

"Yeah?"

Keith smiled. "Yeah."

"Then...I won't. It would be a pain to upkeep if I dye it anyways."

Shiro yawned. He wasn't used to the exertion of _talking_. It was absolutely absurd sounding but he's honestly been through worse. His head fell back down onto the pillow. 

"Shiro?"

"Mm?" he mumbled with his eyes closed.

"I'm glad you're back."

"Me too. I'm home again."

"...Yeah. You are."

They fell back asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> So Shiro Ship Week is technically over but I still want to do an Uliro with the prompt "Memories".


End file.
